Murder and violence, does insecurity in Jayapura is by designed?

Jayapura, Jubi – Since March 30, 2017, a number of violence occurred in Jayapura City. Five people died from these acts of violence. Since police have not been able to stop this series of violent acts, it then raises a variety of rumors across community in Jayapura City.

On April 30, 2017, a man named Andre Marweri was found dead in a miserable condition at Buper Waena Square, Heram District. The victim suffered a stab wound in the back to the neck.

Thursday, May 11, 2017 in the morning, a lecturer at the Faculty of Economics, University of Cenderawasih named Dr. Suwandi was intercepted by two strangers when he was about to return home to Buper Waena Street. The perpetrator attacked the victim with a machete to death.

Saturday, May 13, 2017, a woman named Fitri Diana (22) died after being intercepted by three unidentified people near Kampar Netar East Sentani District. The victim was going to Sentani with a colleague who was also a member of police squad, Paul Tomatala.

On the same day 11 teenagers and children were intercepted by unidentified people in the vicinity of Mount Ottow Geisler Bisoka 2 Complex, Munawir Street, Kotaraja dalam Kelurahan Vim District Abepura, Jayapura City. The offender uses a mask.

This series of violent acts continued until Friday (May 19) after the discovery of a woman body who later known as Tofu street seller in front of Dian Harapan Hospital at 05:15 am Papua time. The body of the 45-year-old woman was found in a gutter right in front of Waena power plant (PLTB). The victim who is a resident the neigborhood is suspected of being killed by murder.

Police arrest and execution

Friday (May 19) afternoon, the community in Perumnas III Waena surprised by a sweeping conducted by Police Resort (Polres) of Jayapura at the depot cutting sawmill (sawmill) to the community neigborhood accross the Kamwolker creek.

More than twenty officers dressed as both officers and thugs rounded up eight people in front of the sawmill. Residents around sawmill suspect the arrest and sweeping in front of the sawmill is related to the founded women body in front of Waena steam power plant.

But only the day after, the police confirmed the sweeping has nothing to do with murder in Friday morning. They were looked for different wanted target persons (DPO) in those neigborhood.

According to the head of Papua Police Public Relations Kombes (Pol) A.M. Kamal said the arrest was conducted by the Jayapura Police team.

Jayapura City Police Chief Adjunct Senior Officer Tober Sirait, who led the sweeping team, said one of eight people arrested for was forced to be shot for fighting when one of the others managed to escape by jumping into the abyss.

According to him, the eight people who were arrested were allegedly the masterminds of a number of cases of violence that occurred in the jurisdiction of Police Jayapura City, Polres Jayapura and Pores Keerom.

“They are secured in Mapolres Jayapura Kota and being investigated, especially MI (one of the alleged perpetrators) who was paralyzed in the arrest, still handled by the medical team at Bhayangkara Jayapura Hospital,” said AKBP Tober Sirait.

Separately, a resident around sawmill said the sweeping was not only done by the police. TNI members were also participating.

“There are members of the TNI who took part in the sweeping. When we heard gunfire shoots, we were running to protect ourselves. Then we went to the sawmill to see the incident,” said citizen of this Perumas III.

According to these residents, some people were arrested right in front of sawmill, and several others were arrested in the sweeping conducted across Kamwolker creek.

‘Amok’ reactionlead to stabbing

The bodies found in front of the Waena power plant provoked the anger of some community groups in Jayapura City who were originally came from the same area as the victims.

The anger of some of these people is manifested by a blockade action in front of Dian Harapan Hospital on Friday night.

About two hundred people stood forming a crowd on the street and yelling at certain Papuan groups/tribes of people. The group accused the other group of people as perpetrators of violence in Jayapura City and the perpetrators of the murder of victims whose body found in front of the Waena power plant.

As the group is shouting out their anger, two other citizens who use motorcycles broke through the police who were only watching around the crowd.

When they were approaching the crowd, both of them surrpunded by some people and immediately beaten and stabbed.

“One immediately fell off from motorcycle. He was constantly beaten, while the other still safe. They were beaten right in front of a shop across the Hospital (Dian Harapan),” said an eyewitness who witnessed the beatings and stabbings.

This witness claimed to stand around the motor workshop not far from the ‘amok’ location.

From Jubi’s finding, these two victims were brothers from Puncak regency. The younger brother, Yuvenus Kulua is saved. While his older brother, Pius Kulua died on location after being stabbed and beaten by several people from the crowd. The siblings live in the neighborhood.

Cycle of violent and target operation

Violence and murder committed by ‘unidentified people’ which lead to sweeping and arresting by security apparatus seemed to be a cycle in Jayapura City since They Eluay’s murdered in 2001.

Before the murder, a number of violent acts occurred. The issue of masked people makes people in Jayapura City worried and afraid to leave their house, especially at night.

The same happened before Mako Tabuni’s murdered. A series of violent acts occurred from Base G to Sentani. Several shootings occurred several times, even in front of Papua Police Office. The victims were not only non-Papuans, but also indigenous Papuans and foreigners.

These experience seems to be confirmed that the cycle of violence occurred in Jayapura City will lead to an operation targeting Papuan independence figures.

It is said by a member of Papua House of Representatives, Laurens Kadepa that based on those experience, it was believe these series of violence allegedly target the figure of a certain Papuan indegenous political leaders.

He asked for the governor and deputy governor, legislative body, leadership of TNI / Polri and church leaders should immediately sit together to stop rumours and allegations that increasingly troubling the community.

The same thing also recalled by Anum Siregar, Director of the Alliance for Democracy for Papua (ALDP). She said that the recent series of violence reminds her of a series of terror before Theys Eluai’s murder and violence in mids 2012 following Mako Tabuni’s assassination.

“There are several possibilities. For example a target against a particular political figure. So this event is not yet ‘mature’. This could be related to ULMWP (United Liberation Movement for West Papua) issue ahead of the Melanesia Spearhead Groups (MSG) Summit in Port Moresby, can also be related to local politics contestation. So there are those who play out this issue of horizontal conflict, “said Anum.

Anum believes that ‘through the ‘other hand’ of the government, there are certain targets of people who are perceived as political figures against the government which being targeted. “Now it’s not impossible that such a scenario will happen again,” Anum said.

She hopes police officers can reveal these violent acts accordingly and at the right time.
The police themselves promised to clarify each of the violence incidents as well as the sweeping and arrest.

“The arrests last night, gunshot wounds, as well as the dead bodies discovery in Bambu Kuning, Polimak, South Jayapura District, Jayapura City and the incident in front of SMA Teruna Bhakti Waena last night. All these cases will be clarified,” said Kombes (Pol) Kamal, Saturday (May 20).

According to him, a series of cases from Friday (May 19) to Saturday (May 20) will be clarified later after cases development.(*)